KALININGRAD, October 18. /TASS/. The Baltic Fleet squadron consisting of the Boiky and Soobrazitelny corvettes and the Kola tanker has passed through the Kattegat and Skagerrak straits and entered the North Sea, the fleet’s spokesman Roman Martov told TASS.

"During the sea passage, the Boiky and Soobrazitelny crews carried out drills on pilotage in narrow waters. Along the route from the Baltic to the North Sea, the ships hammered out scheduled tasks of organizing air, anti-submarine and anti-sabotage defense," he said.

TASS reported earlier that the ships put out to sea on October 14 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean to fulfil the planned tasks of the distant cruise. According to the fleet’s spokesman, "the ship crews will perform a variety of training combat tasks during the cruise, including joint drills on communications, air and anti-submarine defense, as well as replenishment at sea in a number of ways."

Ka-27PS antisubmarine helicopters are on board the corvettes, and their crews will train to search "enemy" submarines, detect surface targets and conduct search and rescue operations.

The main task of the cruise is to secure naval presence in various parts of the Atlantic Ocean.